Several recent results suggest that boosting the CREB pathway improves hippocampal-dependent memory in healthy rodents and restores this type of
memory in an AD mouse model. However, not much is known about how CREB-dependent neuronal alterations in synaptic strength, excitability and
LTP can boost memory formation in the complex architecture of a neuronal network. Using a model of a CA1 microcircuit, we investigate whether
hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neuron properties altered by increasing CREB activity may contribute to improve memory storage and recall. With a set of patterns presented to a network, we find that the pattern recall quality under AD-like conditions is significantly better when boosting CREB function with respect to control. The results are robust and consistent upon increasing the synaptic damage expected by AD progression, supporting the idea that the use of CREB-based therapies could provide a new approach
to treat AD.
Reference: 1 .
Bianchi D, De Michele P, Marchetti C, Tirozzi B, Cuomo S, Marie H, Migliore M (2014) Effects of increasing CREB-dependent transcription on the storage and recall processes in a hippocampal CA1 microcircuit. Hippocampus24:165-77 [PubMed]